Oolite Bulletins

Lanatir wrote:

Havent touched the game since then.

I've recently started a new Commander in a basic Cobra III, to see how Oolite 1.80 treats the fresh and vulnerable. Being also a creature of old habit, I didn't take the sensible option of jumping from Lave to Leesti, and milking the relatively safe run from Leesti to Diso; no, I went for the bright lights and better prices of Zaonce, and then to the profitable and reasonably safe Isinor-Ensoreus route. So far, I've managed to survive (i.e. no "Press Space Commander") without much difficulty. My tips for first trips include:

Before leaving Lave, sell your missiles. All of them. If you need them in Zaonce (or Leesti, for that matter) then you're probably dead anyway. And for the cash you get, you can buy up another few TCs of something that will earn you a profit. Buy them back later, when you can afford to, sure, but extra cargo is a better defence, because:

As soon as you can afford to, stick 5TC of the cheapest junk aside in your hold to pay any pirate "toll". If you get rolled watch the comms: pirates would rather get a few canisters off you without a fight, than have to spend the time and effort of blowing you up, only to get a few canisters anyway. Take care how and where you drop them: you don't want to fling the cargo out at top speed along your route to the station. So far, I've only had to do this once, on a trip into Isinor. 2TC, it cost me. A bargain, frankly - especially since it was from a 5TC stash of Food bought previously on Isinor, and carried for the express purpose of buying off any brigand I couldn't outrun. Other pirates have demanded cargo from me, but 1) spotting suspicious groups at a distance has given me an edge in running from them, and 2) a sufficiency of good luck, where I've managed to flee into the sensor range of a Viper patrol, have meant that I've kept my cargo to myself. Still, though, I call that a pro tip. Don't forget, each time out, to cycle your cargo (shift-R) so it's the junk that's lined up for immediate jettison (shift D).

Don't follow the main space lane. This is between the witchpoint entry and the space station much closer to the planet. As soon as you leave witchspace turn away from the planet so that the planet marker in the space compass is at the edge of the compass then, if there are no powered ships on your scanner, engage the Torus drive (key J). You will now be travelling at right angles to the lane. After ten seconds or so turn back to head for the planet. In busy trading systems the space lane may be chocked with traders plying the route. Even though they are usually not aggressive, they will mass lock your Torus drive. Pirate bands will also be waiting to ambush traders too.

I made my first kill on my first trip into Isinor (although, to be honest, the derelict Boa I'd found wasn't fighting back …) But I didn't even try to fight anything moving until I had bought the following:

Cargo Bay Expansion. Not my usual first purchase, but it just panned out this way: I'd arrived in Isinor, made a healthy profit, and had enough to buy the Expansion and - crucially - fill the extra space with cheap Furs. Not counting, of course, my 5TC of pirate kibble. And anyway, Isinor doesn't sell what would normally be my first purchase, to wit:

Injectors. The Isinor-Ensoreus run is a long one, and it doesn't leave you with much fuel to burn, but even so, these things can and do make all the difference.

ECM. Don't start a shooting match without one.


Front Beam laser. Remember, folks, it's not as expensive as it looks: you get to sell the Pulse laser it's replacing. First trip out with my new gun, I met Gecko, a Mamba and a Sidewinder, who were duffing up a Cobra I. On previous trips, I'd have shed a pious tear and headed in the opposite direction, full pelt; this time, emboldened by the presence of an actual weapon on my ship, and not some glorified signal light, I intervened, successfully. My count went from 1 to 4.

Now I've got an Extra Energy unit, and another Beam laser on my tail, and 12 kills to my name, and a Fuel Scoop in case of Escape Pods. I'm still carrying 5TC of Freebooter Friskies, but so far, I've not needed to use them. Long may that continue!

ralph_hh wrote:

It was around 1986, when I bought my C64 and soon thereafter began playing ELITE for endless nights. So, I’d say, I’m no beginner…

I discovered and installed OOlite just yesterday, but already, I think about quitting.

ralph_hh wrote:

...Every time I encounter more than one ship, they tear me apart. They destroy me before I can even score a single shot...
In the C64 times, I flew through anarchy systems, more or less harvesting pirates, groups of 6, 8 no problem. Now, 2 are too much.
Two major differences: In Elite, you hear when you hit, so you know when you should re-aim or not. In Elite, the NPC hit you every 10th shot or so with limited damage, in Oolite they seem to score 5 out of 10 with remarkeable total damage.

ralph_hh wrote:

One more question: what's the default starting ship? Cobra MKIII, no? Not the most harmless after all...

ralph_hh wrote:

In the C64 times, I flew through anarchy systems, more or less harvesting pirates, groups of 6, 8 no problem.

ralph_hh wrote:

On C64 / Amiga500 / Win95, you could open a hex-editor and manipulate some bites.